THE NEW YORK TIMES: Canadian marine park Marineland threatens to euthanise 30 Beluga whales

A Canadian marine park that closed last year wants to send its remaining 30 beluga whales to an aquarium in China. But Canada’s fisheries minister refused to issue an export permit because the animals would continue living in captivity.

Now, Marineland, a once popular tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ontario, that says it is on the brink of bankruptcy, has threatened to euthanise the whales if the government denies it an emergency cash infusion by Tuesday.

“If we do not receive a response by that date, we will have no choice but to presume that the answers to our inquiries are negative,” the park said in a letter on Friday to the Fisheries Ministry, adding that whatever happens to the animals would be “a direct consequence of the minister’s decision.”

The Fisheries Ministry gave its answer Monday night — Marineland would not be getting more money.

“The fact that Marineland has not planned for a viable alternative despite raising these whales in captivity for many years, does not place the onus on the Canadian government to cover your expenses,” Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said in a letter to Marineland.

Animal welfare activists and local politicians have accused the park of effectively attempting a shakedown.

Representatives from Marineland did not respond to requests for comment.

The park closed to the public in 2024, after years of declining attendance and accusations of animal abuse. Its operations were also hobbled by an animal protection law that Canada enacted in 2019 banning the breeding of captive whales and dolphins or their use for entertainment.

The legislation became known as the Free Willy bill, after the 1993 movie.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement away from keeping whales and dolphins captive in enclosed surroundings.

But simply setting them free is not usually an option. Marine mammals that are bred in captivity have low prospects of survival in the wild, animals experts say, because they lack skills like hunting and social interaction with other mammals.

At the height of its popularity, Marineland was a major destination for families with young children, primarily for its choreographed shows featuring jumping killer whales, twirling dolphins and compliant walruses in an exhibit designed to look like a medieval castle.

The park was founded in 1961 by John Holer, a Slovenian immigrant who said he loved animals, and the facility eventually expanded to cover 1,000 acres of grounds and also included rides and dining.

But its reputation crumbled over the years as Marineland faced ongoing protests from animal welfare activists and claims about the inhumane treatment of its animals.

Thompson previously said that her decision to deny Marineland’s request for an export permit was in line with Canada’s regulations against the exploitation of marine mammals. Marineland was hoping to ship the animals to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a theme park in Zhuhai, China.

“I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured,” Thompson said in a statement.

She said she had recently visited the park and believed the health of the whales had deteriorated. On Monday night, Thompson said she remains open to reviewing other export permit applications and urged the company “to act in good faith.”

Beluga whales have a lifespan of about 60 years, but tend to have shorter lives in captivity.

In recent years, 19 beluga whales and one killer whale have died at Marineland, according to data compiled by The Canadian Press, which said the park is still home to four dolphins and a few seals, sea lions and bears.

(Marineland was fined under Ontario’s animal cruelty laws in August 2024 for keeping three black bears in a cramped cage for months without sufficient water.)

“Threatening to kill all their animals if they don’t get emergency funding is just repugnant,” said Melissa Matlow, a Toronto-based animal welfare adviser at World Animal Protection who has long pushed for the humane transfer of the whales.

She praised the decision to keep the whales from going to China.

“We need to take comfort that this is the last generation of whales and dolphins that will ever have to suffer again in Canada,” Matlow said.

Wildlife activists say a marine sanctuary would be an ideal place for the whales to live out their days, but such facilities are rare. A Nova Scotia project called the Whale Sanctuary Project is far from becoming a reality.

A coalition of private investors, led by Knapp Capital Management, a firm in New Jersey, has proposed turning the Marineland property and surrounding area into the “world’s first global inland sanctuary” for the park’s animals.

Phil Demers, a former walrus trainer at Marineland, said the company’s latest tactics amounted to bluster, threats and ultimatums, a pattern he said he witnessed while embroiled in 13 years of litigation with the company after publicly raising concerns about the inhumane treatment of the facility’s animals.

“It’s a life support system on life support,” Demers said of the park, which he said had outdated water treatment infrastructure.

Chris Bittle, a member of Parliament who represents a district near Niagara Falls, said, “Marineland’s position of ‘give us money or the whales get it’ is yet another example of their failure to take responsibility for years of mismanagement.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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